Vyacheslav Bykov: Our team was united for the first time at the World Championship

Head coach of the Russian national team Vyacheslav Bykov has made special mention of his team’s character and fighting spirit after the WC quaterfinal against Canada (2:1).

«For the first time at this World Championship the team was really united, acting like a single body. We, the coaches, only had to direct players in the right way a little bit.»

«What do you think of the outstanding short-handed goal scored by Kaigorodov?»

«The guys were shouting him to throw the puck out of the zone, but he dodged the opponents one by obe and scored a very important goal. That goal is Lyosha’s reply to a pseudo-expert who had called Kaigorodov a ‘floor polisher’.»

«What would you tell to your numerous critics?»

«Congratulations on our victory! Yes, I’d congratulate everyone. Still, I don’t care about the opinion of those who root against their national team,» stated Bykov as quoted by Sovetsky Sport.